Giant Ball Serve Fakes: Fooling the Receiving Team
A giant ball game in which the serving team plans fakes: rotating the ball just before the hit, switching hitters at the last second, or faking a direction. Students work on team strategy, communication, and reading opponents.
How to play
- Form three teams of four in colored pinnies on a 20 x 20 m (about 65 x 65 ft) court; with more students, set up two courts or rotate a fourth team in every 3 minutes.
- Review the serve: three players hold the ball while the fourth hits it after calling "Ball!" and the color of the team that must catch it before it touches the floor.
- Each team has 3 minutes to plan two fakes: a quick 90-degree rotation of the ball before the hit, or a hitter switch with two players winding up at once.
- Play 12 minutes: if the called team fails to catch the ball, the other two teams each score 1 point. If the point comes from a planned fake, it is worth 2.
- Before each serve, the serving team signals to the teacher which fake they plan to use so you can check whether it was executed.
- Stop play for 1 minute at halftime: the defending teams share which clues helped them read the fake.
Rules
- Rotate the ball with the hands only, never pushing it into anyone.
- No more than 5 seconds may pass between the color call and the hit.
- Defenders move with their eyes on the ball and call out to avoid collisions.
Variations
Easier
Only one fake, the ball rotation, is allowed, and every point is worth 1.
Standard
Two planned fakes per team, and a double point when a planned fake wins the point.
Harder
Each team plans three fakes and cannot use the same one on two serves in a row.
Adaptations
- A student who uses a wheelchair can be one of the three holders, positioned in front, and their team can choose them to call the color.
- For students who are deaf or hard of hearing, the teacher raises a pinnie in the called color.
- Students with less strength can hit with both open hands or the forearms.
Learning goals
- Design team fakes on the serve.
- Read opponents' cues to anticipate the ball's direction.
- Cooperate with clear roles on the serving team.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Giant ball: 1
- Pinnies: 12
- Cones: 8
Teacher tip
Fakes tend to slow the serve down; enforce the 5 seconds with a count out loud.
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